Spain Facts

Passports and Visas

Passport required for entry.

Health Information

No vaccinations required for entry.

Time

EST + 6 hours

Electricity

220 volts

Languages Spoken

Spanish

Currency

Euro (EUR) €

Gratuity Tips

In restaurants the law requires menu prices to include service charge, and tipping is a matter of personal choice - most people leave some small change if they're satisfied and 5% is usually plenty. It's common to leave small change at bar and cafe tables.

Banks, Credit Cards, ATMs

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted at hotels and restaurants, especially from the middle range up, and also for long-distance train tickets. These days, even small towns have an ATM where you can withdraw Euro from credit and debit accounts.

Tourism Information

57 million annual visitors, 212-265-8822 in the U.S.

Spain

Spain

Spain is a is a sovereign state of the European Union (EU) and is one of three countries (Morocco, France) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Spain's 754 mile border with Portugal is the longest uninterrupted border within the EU. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, both of which are tourist hot spots. Spain's tourism industry is one of the largest in the world and with that status comes high standards. For example, its star hotel rating system is much more demanding than other EU countries. Spain is a great honeymoon destination with a good climate, many beaches and historic cities. Popular cities include Madrid, the capital city, Barcelona on the Mediterranean, and Pamplona, where you can run with the bulls.

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Highlights

If you like to travel you will enjoy Spain. It's appeal is very broad and has something for everyone.

Geography/Environment

Spain shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal and is surrounded mostly by water. Its Mediterranean coast is about 1000 miles long, and its Atlantic coast is over 400 miles long. The Pyrenees Mountains form the border with France on the north and extend about 270 miles from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. In the south, the Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain from Africa and is only about 8 miles wide in it's narrowest point.

Activities

Late lunches and evenings out are a tradition in Spain, but don't let that discourage you, the food is great. They have it all from the beaches to the culture and history.

Climate and Weather

The climate in Spain varies greatly. In Madrid, winter temperatures are cold enough to freeze surrounding streams, while summer temperatures in Seville get to 120ºF. The southern Mediterranean coast has a subtropical climate where in Malaga, in the extreme south, the average winter temperature is around 57ºF.

If planning to marry outside of Madrid, apply at the local District Court. You will need to confirm with the local District Court that neither party needs to be a legal Spanish resident.

Documents needed:

Application to marry form

Original birth certificate

Proof you are free to marry. A form can be obtained from the civil registry.

If previously married, the original final divorce decree or death certificate.

Certificate of residence – this can be an affidavit sworn before your consular officer.

Certificate of Consular Inscription – can be obtained from your embassy or consulate.

All documents from outside Spain must be authenticated by apostille. All documents must either be in Spanish or with a translation that has been certified by the Spanish consulate.

The posting of banns is usually not necessary for non-residents.

After the ceremony a Spanish marriage certificate will be issued. You should consider having the original marriage certificate certified with an Apostille. This can be done at:
Secretaria de Gobierno
Tribunal Superior de Justicia,
Autonomous Community
General Castanos, 1
Madrid

It is possible to arrange a Roman Catholic, Protestant, Islamic or Jewish marriage in Spain. Requirements will vary depending on the religious denomination.

For Catholic marriages, the required documents must be presented to the priest performing the ceremony. Protestant, Islamic or Jewish marriages require you obtain civil authorization by applying with the required documents.

Spain Reviews

My wife and our front line agent Annette Moore were selected by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to experience one of the pre-cruise tour packages this summer in Spain. She said she would never sell another cruise out of Barcelona without highly recommending...